***Chapter 268 Legacy of Moonlight 1***

"Look, El. This is the magic crystal carved by Alberinea."

――How should he possibly express the emotion he felt at that moment?

Engraved on the blue crystal were countless straight and curved lines.

In itself, it was something simple.

Engrave specific formula to determine the target, and circuits were etched for conditioning.

Some might see it as mere patterns or decorations.

However, what existed there was a whole world.

"...It's beautiful, Ojii-sama....It's incredible."

"Right. ... There is beauty in the flawless and perfect engraving. The end result of pursuing efficiency and theory is art."

Elgainst Ramil was born as the grandson of Tir Ramil, the second director of the Magic Research Institute.

He grew up surrounded by magic crystals carved by his grandfather, grandmother, and father and mother from before he could remember anything, so it was only natural that he developed an interest in them.

However, probably that was the moment his life was decided.

When his grandfather showed him Alberinea’s magic crystal for the first time, his future was decided.

"Alberinea is already where we, the magicians, should aim to be. ...And ...If there is anything we should do, it would be to convey the beauty created by Alberinea to the people in an understandable form."

"…yes"

"You are blessed with talent, and you were born in a time when you were given the best examples to learn from. First of all, be grateful for this opportunity. And work hard to pass on this beauty to future generations."

‘not for personal gain’, his grandfather smiled, patted Elgainst's head.

"Alberinea has given us magicians a place and happiness. We have received plenty. That's why we must give that happiness to the people. ...First, understand that magic is a tool for that purpose."

――It is because it's a tool for that purpose that, it shone so beautifully.

His kind grandfather always told Elgainst that.

He first met her when he was eight years old.

When his father took him to visit the Magic Research Institute.

Alberinea, who only occasionally showed her face, happened to be visiting the research institute that day.

"Alberinea, this is my son Elgainst."

"N-nice to meet you..."

In a large research room.

For some reason, she was there wearing an apron dress while the magicians were heading to the countless workbenches, so at first he didn't realize it was that person, but it seems like she was that strange person.

He had heard from his parents, grandparents, and their friends that she was strange, but he didn't expect her to be dressed like a servant, so he stared at her openly and regretted his rudeness.

Unofficially, she is Her Royal Highness the Queen's Sister, and is Alberinea, just below the Marshal.

Normally, one wouldn't dare speak, let alone make eye contact with her, an existence above the clouds. His conduct was extremely rude.

She was said to be like a fairy, and her beauty described as unparalleled.

She looks like a small girl with impressive long silver hair and purple eyes.

Alberinea, who produced the ultimate in logic and beauty, was a beautiful existence.

Although he felt much awe, what Elgainst felt could be called love at first sight.

He could feel his ears and cheeks burning as he bowed his head.

"You don't have to bow your head."

"Y-yes..."

Like a bell ringing next to a quiet lake.

The sound of her voice was also beautiful.

When Elgainst looked up, his father smiled bitterly and patted him on the head.

"This kid seems nervous about meeting Alberinea, his idol... Please forgive him."

“…longing?"

"Yes. He always practice hia engravings while looking at the magic crystal carved by Alberinea...I feel like he'll overtake me soon."

"Hmm...well, Courant is slow at engraving. You should engrave it like a little more Pikyun. Pikyun."

"Yes. I will continue to work hard in the future."

Elgainst was stunned.

His father, Courant, was unable to take over the position of director of the research institute from his grandfather, who retired from the front lines, but he became vice director.

He was one of the top five magicians at the research institute.

The formula engraving was also vivid, and if it's a simple one, he could engrave it in the blink of an eye.

"Ah, um...!"

"...?"

"If, if it's okay... could you show me the process of engraving?!"

How did she engrave the spell, if his father’s speed was called slow?

Those were the words that came out of his mouth without thinking.

Alberinea tilted her head, tracing her lips with her fingertips.

Then, her eyebrows furrowed and she looked straight at Elgainst.

The relaxed atmosphere between his father and her――realizing his own impertinence, Elgainst immediately lowered his head again.

"M-my apologies――"

“Elgainst, lift your face”

As he raised his head as instructed, Alberinea continued to stare earnestly at Elgainst, felt her his flush, almost like it was going to burst into flames

A moment of silence――Alberinea slams her left hand with her right fist.

"Oooh...Krische thought you were really sleepy, but that's what your face look like."

“Ha…?”

"Ehehe, so the eyes are open properly."

Alberinea leans her face closer to and looks into Elgainst's eyes.

Not exactly ugly, but Elgainst’s face certainly wasn't beautiful.

He has a distinctive face with narrow eyes that were difficult to tell if they were open or closed.

Of course, he was aware of it, but it took him a moment to realize that Alberinea was talking about that.

He was simply captivated by her beautiful purple eyes, long silver eyelashes, straight nose, and cherry-coloured lips that surrounded them.

She quickly withdrew her face and rested her chin on her hand, contemplating, then clapped her hand again.

"Pipin Krische know. It’s Nemu-Nemu (sleepy sleepy)."

“Ah, uh…?”

"Elgainst is long, so it's a nickname. Don't you think Nemu-Nemu is great because you look sleepy? Courant."

"Uh, uuh...i-it's definitely, a, great honor for my son..."

His father nodded, confused, and Alberinea smiled happily.

The way she smiled like a child was even more beautiful, like a flower blooming.

“So Nemu-Nemu wants to see Krische engraving formula right.”

"Eh, ah, yes..."

"Well, it's fine. Open your eyes and take a look properly."

It was a bit late when he realized that a nickname had been given to him

Without noticing the confused Elgainst, Alberinea took the magic crystal that was lying on her desk and wrapped it lightly in her hand in front of Elgainst.

“Well, since Nemu-Nemu Till’s grandson, let’s make it Till’s.”

She said, and a blue light shone.

The magical power poured into it instantly turned into dozens of lines that ran like lightning inside the magic crystal.

It was engraved in the blink of an eye, and before he could even understand what it was, what had been engraved was an extremely precise formula that could be called art.

The magic crystal, which looked like a small stone, instantly changed its shape into a small frying pan, and she placed it in her palm.

"Guess it's something like this. It takes time to engrave a large number of formula, but once you increase the number, it's easy. It's no good because everyone tries to do it with one by one. You have to be able to engrave this much all at once."

A magic crystal frying pan was placed in Elgainst's palm, leaving him speechless.

If he wanted to imitate it, it would take several months with Elgainst’s current skill.

What's more, even though dozens of lines were engraved at the same time, each line was engraved with perfect beauty, without any deviation or hesitation.

What she showed him was like casually throwing the end of a thread into dozens of needle holes.

As naturally as breathing, as if it were a matter of course.

The magicians Elgainst has talked to so far have all said that Alberinea was the zenith of magician.

Without a doubt, what lied before Elgainst will be the ultimate.

――He understood that she had already perfected it.

As he stared dumbfounded at the magic crystal in his palm, Alberinea tilted her head.

"……? What's wrong?"

"No, um... th-thank you...!"

As he clasped the magic crystal and bowed his head, she lightly stroked his head.

The touch of a gentle palm.

"Courant, Krische are busy making dinner, so please take care of the rest."

"Yes... Thank you, Krische-sama. For going out of your way for my son..."

"There's no need to thank Krische that much. Nemu-Nemu, see you later."

"Yes"

Alberinea hurriedly left the room, and after seeing her off, Elgainst looked at the magic crystal in his hand.

The miniature frying pan, made in an instant, shimmered with Alberinea's magic power.

"Good for you, Elgainst. To receive even something like that."

"...Yes. Alberinea making dinner...?"

“That's the kind of person she is. A great magician, an unparalleled general and warrior on the battlefield...but he probably has no interest in such things. Just like her appearance, she usually spends her time just like a servant.''

‘A quirky person’, his father smiled bitterly and clapped Elgainst on the shoulder.

"...You'll probably pursue the path of magical research like me and my father in the future, but think carefully about why you're given a place like this to conduct your research in peace. It's not just you, but don't get conceited and never forget to be grateful."

"...Yes, father."

Not a heroic sword or helmet.

Why did Alberinea make a frying pan?

Thinking about the reason, Elgainst nodded.

For a year after that, Elgainst continued to look at the ‘Frying Pan’.

It wasn't until a week later that he realized that it wasn't just a skill to shape a frying pan.

Normally, the formula carved into the magic crystal will become effective if magical power is poured into it, flowing along a single path.

However, he noticed that the line carved by Alberinea had multiple branching paths along the way.

When he poured magic into it as a test, it turned into a knife, a ladle, and a pumpkin depending on the line he poured magic into.

Depending on the combination of lines, it could become something different.

He was doubly, triply surprised when he realized that.

If it had been put up for auction, for example, how much would it have been worth?

Magic crystals engraved with advanced formula themselves were a kind of artwork.

The value of Alberinea's engraved magic crystals was incomparable to ordinary ones.

And he felt even more moved by Alberinea, who gave such a thing to Elgainst, whom she had just met, as if it were a piece of candy or something.

Whether Elgainst’s feelings for Alberinea were a child crush or something akin to worship, he didn't know.

But what was certain was that he wanted to be acknowledged by her.

He spent a whole year copying the engraved magic formula that on the magic crystal on a bundle of parchment, he then imitated and engraved the magic formula.

His grandfather, parents, and the magicians at the research institute all praised Elgainst as a genius for imitating Alberinea's magic crystal, albeit clumsily, just in nine months, but Elgainst did not become conceited.

Genius is a word that refers to Alberinea, and people like Elgainst was nothing more than an ordinary person before her.

"Hmm, you're doing pretty well. Good job Nemu-Nemu."

"Yes…!"

"However, the width of the engraving and the angles of each one are not consistent, so pay attention to those details. They can cause the accumulation of magic residues and make it prone to deformation due to magical pressure, leading to faster deterioration."

Although Elgainst spent a lot of time at the research institute, Alberinea only visited once every two or three months.

That was his only chance to talk to her.

She was a person who didn't particularly care about her status and used polite words with everyone.

Given her position, she was truly an existence above the clouds, but she never changed her attitude towards anyone and talked to them normally.

Even when she visited with Her Majesty the Queen, her tone did not change, and even in front of the Elegant, she acted like an older sister to a younger siblings, so she probably really doesn't care about formalities.

"The formula itself is finished once you memorize the pattern. All you have to do is carve it into an appropriate space and combine them. In terms of mathematics, it's just repeating simple addition and subtraction, so without thinking too much, just pikyuun and engrave it.''

“P-pikyuun is it…”

Not to be rude, but of all else she seemed somewhat childish in nature.

"In the end, any engraving is fine as long as it works, Nemu-Nemu. Anything you like is fine. That's how Krische learned it."

Although he was slightly surprised, he understood it as a matter of course.

There must have been a time when she, Alberinea were taught something by someone.

“The important thing is to keep it as short and concise as possible, with no waste, and with consistent lines. If the pattern fits nicely inside, that's all that matters. Since the magic crystals used are different, don't try to imitate them forcibly. For example if you expanded it here, it would have been even prettier."

"…I see"

Engraving could be said to be like a painting carved into the magic crystal.

Each magic crystal has a different shade of purity, size, and shape.

Even if you try to engrave the same formula in the same form, the same magic crystal does not exist, so nothing exactly the same will be created.

Looking at the magic crystal ‘Frying Pan’ that was hanging around his neck, it was true that the one Alberinea engraved had the formula engraving avoid the parts with low purity.

The purity of a magic crystal affects how easily it could be carved, and if the purity was low, it would cause dissipation when magic power was poured into it.

―― Alberinea's magic crystal was meticulously crafted even in to the subtle shading.

"Krische also remembers trying to imitate Bery in the past, just like Nemu-Nemu did, but just like with cooking, if the ingredients are different, the cooking method will be different too. It's important to think about what's appropriate in each case.''

‘That’s what Bery said’, Alberinea said with some pride, holding up her finger.

"...Did Alberinea learn from someone named Bery?"

“Ehehe, yes.”

Alberinea lovingly placed her hand on her chest from above her apron.

That name was one he had never heard of as a magician.

“She's the best servant in the world who's extremely admirable and can do anything, and also a teacher who teaches Krische a lot of things...She is Krische’s goal.''

“I want to meet her soon”, she smiled while clutching her chest.

It was a beautiful smile filled with various emotions.

He later asked his grandfather and he replied that it was Alberinea’s servant who had passed away.

His grandfather says that the reason Alberinea wore an apron dress was because she was thinking of the servant who died long ago.

She was unable to witness the servant’s final moment as she was in battle.

Just what did Alberinea mean when she said she wanted to meet her soon.

At that time, Elgainst viewed those words in a purely pessimistic way.